Gas attack syria

A Syrian soldier walks down a destroyed street in the former rebel-held Syrian town of Douma on the outskirts of Damascus on April 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Stringer) Gruesome footage of the alleged toxic attack on Apr 7 in the town of Douma, just outside Damascus, horrified the world and prompted unprecedented Western strikes on Syrian military installations. Just hours after the joint missile strikes, a team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in Syria to investigate the claims. But they had been unable to access Douma itself, which fell from rebel hands into joint Syrian and Russian control after the suspected chemical attack. United Nations security experts deployed to the town on Tuesday to check it was safe, but were forced to pull out after an explosion went off and they were shot at. Investigators finally collected evidence from the site for the first time on Saturday, the OPCW said. "The samples collected will be transported to the OPCW … [Read more...] about Experts take samples from site of alleged Syria gas attack

Viet Nam News UNITED NATIONS — Russia and the United States failed on Tuesday to win support at the UN Security Council for their rival proposals to investigate chemical weapons use in Syria as the threat of military action loomed large. Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution on setting up a panel to identify the perpetrators of toxic gas attacks after chemical weapons were allegedly used in the rebel-held town of Douma. It was the 12th time that Russia has used its veto power at the council to block action targeting its Syrian ally. The council voted two more times on draft texts put forward by Russia, but both measures failed to garner the nine votes required for adoption, laying bare divisions at the top UN body over Syria. As the showdown between Russia and the United States got underway, Moscow’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of "planting this resolution" as a "pretext" to justify action against Syria and "taking yet one more step … [Read more...] about Divided UN fails to agree response to Syria chemical weapons use

An image grab taken from a video released by the Syrian civil defence in Douma shows unidentified volunteers giving aid to children at a hospital following an alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held town on Apr 8, 2018. (AFP/HO) The United States, backed by Britain and France, has said it is ready to act with or without support from the United Nations, where the Security Council was to vote as early as Tuesday on rival US and Russian proposals to probe chemical attacks in Syria. Trump met his cabinet and then dined with top generals Monday, telling reporters "we have a lot of options militarily and we'll be letting you know pretty soon ... probably after the fact." Washington and Moscow set out starkly different positions at a stormy emergency session at the UN Security Council, where Russia's ambassador Vassily Nebenzia warned that the possibility of US military action was "very, very dangerous." Nebenzia rejected a US call for the world body to set up a probe to identify the … [Read more...] about Trump vows ‘forceful’ response after Syria attack

Russia and the United States tangled on Tuesday at the United Nations over the use of chemical weapons in Syria as Washington and its allies considered whether to strike at President Bashar al-Assad’s forces over a suspected poison gas attack last weekend. Moscow and Washington halted attempts by each other in the U.N. Security Council to set up international investigations into chemical weapons attacks in Syria, which is in the throes of a seven-year-old civil war. U.S. President Donald Trump and western allies are discussing possible military action to punish Assad for a suspected poison gas attack on Saturday on a rebel-held town that long had held out against government forces. Trump on Tuesday canceled a planned trip to Latin America later this week to focus instead on responding to the Syria incident, the White House said. Trump had on Monday warned of a quick, forceful response once responsibility for the Syria attack was established. On the diplomatic front, the United … [Read more...] about US, Russia clash at UN over chemical weapons attacks in Syria

The United States is weighing a multinational military response to the suspected Syrian poison gas attack, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, as experts listed several key facilities that could be viable targets. President Donald Trump promised forceful action on Monday, saying a decision would be made soon following the suspected chemical weapons attack late on Saturday in the Syrian city of Douma that killed at least 60 people and injured more than 1,000 others. U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity did not disclose any plans, but acknowledged military options were being developed. The White House, Pentagon and State Department declined to comment on specific options or whether military action was likely. Experts on Syria’s war cited France and perhaps even Britain and Middle East allies as potential partners in any U.S. military operation, which would aim to discourage future chemical weapons use in Syria’s brutal civil war.President Emmanuel Macron … [Read more...] about US weighs multinational military response to Syria attack: sources

Syrian state TV said on Monday the United States was suspected of striking an air base hours after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of a “big price to pay” as aid groups said dozens of people were killed by poison gas in a rebel-held town. The United States denied attacking the Syrian base, and France also said it had not carried it out. “At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting air strikes in Syria,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable.” When asked about the explosions, an Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment. Israel has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of the conflict, hitting convoys and bases of Iranian-backed militias that fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s forces. Syrian state TV said there were casualties in what … [Read more...] about Syria says US suspected of attacking air base but Pentagon denies it.

Viet Nam News DAMASCUS — A missile attack on a Syrian military airport left several dead and wounded, state media said on Monday, after the US warned Damascus and its allies over an earlier suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town. The strike on the Tayfur air base in the central province of Homs, came as international outrage mounts over an attack on Saturday in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta. "Several missiles hit the Tayfur airport. Our air defence systems are blocking the missile attack," state news agency SANA said early Monday. It later added that there were "dead and wounded" in the strike, without giving exact casualty numbers. The missile attack came shortly after US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning over an apparent "chemical" attack in Douma, the last rebel-controlled town in an eastern suburb of Damascus. "Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," Trump wrote on Twitter, lashing out at Syrian President … [Read more...] about Casualties reported in strike on Syria air base: state media

An image grab taken from a video released by the Syrian civil defence in Douma shows unidentified volunteers giving aid to children at a hospital following an alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held town. (HO/AFP/SYRIA CIVIL DEFENCE) An alleged chemical attack that left dozens dead in Syria's rebel-held town of Douma sparked international outrage on Sunday (Apr 8), with US President Donald Trump warning there would be a "big price to pay". As condemnation of Saturday's attack poured in, rebels began evacuating Douma, the last sliver they held of their one-time stronghold Eastern Ghouta, under a deal with Syria's regime. Trump's threat came exactly a year and a day after the US fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in retaliation for a deadly sarin gas attack in 2017. "Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday, lashing out at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's Vladimir Putin, a key ally of the … [Read more...] about Trump warns of ‘big price’ after suspected Syria gas attack

By Reuters &nbspApril 9, 2018 | 08:23 am GMT+7 A girl looks on following alleged chemical weapons attack, in what is said to be Douma, Syria in this still image from video obtained by Reuters on April 8, 2018 Trump took the rare step of directly criticizing Putin in connection with the incident. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there would be a “big price to pay” after medical aid groups reported dozens of people were killed by poison gas in a besieged rebel-held town in Syria. As international officials worked to try to confirm the chemical attack which happened late on Saturday in the town of Douma, Trump took the rare step of directly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the incident. The Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, called the reports fake. Trump threatened action, although it was unclear what he had … [Read more...] about Trump says ‘big price to pay’ for Syria chemical attack

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that there was "obvious evidence from dozens of victims" to corroborate the chlorine attacks in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta."Now we have reports that the Assad regime has used chlorine gas against its people multiple times in recent weeks, including just yesterday," Haley said.The United States proposed that the council adopt a statement condemning "in the strongest terms" the reported February 1 chlorine attack in the town of Douma that injured more than 20 civilians including children, according to the draft seen by AFP.Russia hit back and accused the United States of waging a "propaganda campaign" aimed at falsely blaming President Bashar al-Assad for chemical attacks."It’s completely clear to us the goal is to basically accuse the Syrian government of chemical weapons use where no perpetrators have been identified," said Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.Russia proposed an amended draft statement that made no mention of the attacks … [Read more...] about US, Russia clash at UN over Syria chlorine attacks